


Code of Silence

by ashethehedgehog



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Crimes & Criminals, Guns, M/M, Organized Crime, cop Yugi, crime lord Atem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-12
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-08-30 15:42:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8538763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashethehedgehog/pseuds/ashethehedgehog
Summary: “Well, this is going just perfectly, isn’t it?” Atem chuckled. “I find myself in such interesting situations that it’s amazing I consistently top them.”“You’re going to get yourself killed one day, you know.” Yugi narrowed his eyes.“Oh? You think so?”“My gun thinks so.”Crimelord!Atem and cop!Yugi.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, here's what I did when I was supposed to be working on my other fics, ahaha...  
> I wanted to try my hand writing a gangsta/mobster kind of setting. It's honestly one of my favourite settings, and I've seen so many amazing fics that use it. Rating is just a precaution; nothing too intense happens though. It's surprisingly quite vanilla in both violence and romance. Enjoy the story!

“Well, this is going just perfectly, isn’t it?” Atem chuckled. “I find myself in such interesting situations that it’s amazing I consistently top them.”

“You’re going to get yourself killed one day, you know.” Yugi narrowed his eyes.

“Oh? You think so?”

“My gun thinks so.”

“Ah, so it does.” Atem tilted his head best he could. His eyes never left the barrel of Yugi’s gun, pointed so elegantly towards his face.

“Cut the crap, Sennen. I don’t have time to screw around.”

Atem frowned, acting hurt. “You wound me, Yugi. Are you saying I’m _not_ screwable?” Then he grinned. “That’s not what you were saying last time-”

“Shut the fuck up.” Yugi said, his cheeks ablaze with embarrassment. He pushed the gun closer to Atem, the metal almost kissing his cheek.

“My apologies. I just thought you liked it-”

“I’m serious, Sennen, shut up.”

Atem sighed, his raised arms twitching with lack of blood flow. They were starting to tingle, and he was tired from holding them up so long. “As you wish, Yugi-”

“Mutou.”

“-Mister Mutou, _sir_.” Atem beamed a smile at him, even going so far as winking at him.

“Put your hands behind your back.” Yugi said, his grip on the gun visibly tightening.

“Why would I do that?” Atem frowned, pretending to look confused. He glanced behind him, noting the wall staring back at him. No doubt Yugi had backed him strategically between a wall and a gun. _Good move, Mutou._ Yugi just scowled, his other hand fisting as he shook it in anger.

“Because you’re going to jail, Sennen. I’m not letting you get away this time.”

“Oh really? Well damn, I had an appointment set up for tomorrow, it’d be a shame to have to cancel that.” Atem muttered, tapping his foot.

“Augh, Sennen, you’re trying my patience!” Yugi said, his hand coming up to tug at his hair. In that moment, Atem sensed his attention divided, and promptly acted on it.

He leaned forward, snatching the gun from Yugi’s grip.

Yugi sprung to action, not missing a beat, ducking low to charge at Atem’s gut. Atem grunted, his calves clenching up to keep his feet planted on the ground, baring Yugi’s weight. He tossed the gun away, pushing his stomach out, his torso shifting forward as he bounced Yugi off.

Yugi stumbled back, his feet scrambling to keep him balanced and upright. He shot Atem a look before kicking off again, his fist clenched as he threw it forward.

Atem just smirked, ducking to the side of Yugi’s punch, his hand coming up to grip Yugi’s wrist, snapping it around behind the other’s back.

“Is that how cops fight these days? I remember you being much better than this, Yugi.”

“Shut up, Sennen.” Yugi growled, jerking his body forward and out of Atem’s grip. “I’m still good enough to put you behind bars.”

“Oh please. It’s fine to be optimistic, but you should be realistic as well, Yugi. You can’t catch me.” Atem taunted him with a smug grin. Yugi’s face flushed red and his eyes narrowed. Atem had to admit, he had a weak spot for Yugi’s pissed off look. It really brought out the fire in his eyes.

Yugi charged him again, this time swerving at the last moment to land a hit to Atem’s side. Atem stumbled, his feet tripping over each other. He crouched lower, his feet slamming down onto the cement to steady himself.

“Nice move.” Atem commented, patting the side Yugi had punched. “But you’ll need to do better than that, dear.”

“Stop pretending we’re friends. I’m no friend to a criminal.”

“I was hoping we were more than friends, actually.” Atem sighed, placing a hand over his heart.

“I told you to cut the crap Sennen. We’re nothing.” Yugi spat on the ground, his fists raised to strike again.

“I’m growing tired of this fight,” Atem said, shifting his weight forward. “Why don’t we just talk out our problems?”

“You can have all the time in the world to talk when you’re behind bars.” Yugi said, darting forward.

But this time, Atem was fully prepared. He knew from experience Yugi would try to shake up his point of contact, probably heading for Atem’s torso- his stomach. Armed with this knowledge, he spun around, watching as Yugi stumbled forward, towards the wall.

He turned around, mouth open as if to say something, but Atem didn’t give him the time.

He shoved him up against a wall, hands closing around Yugi’s as his face came forward to crush his lips against Yugi’s.

“Mmm!” Yugi protested, his hands tugging against Atem’s trying to throw him off. Atem just tightened his grip, deepening the kiss with a tilt of his head. He stared at Yugi with half lidded eyes, and after a few moments of struggling, Yugi fell limp in his arms.

“Mmm…” His eyelids drooped, and his mouth opened wider, granting Atem access. Atem gave a hum of approval, slipping his tongue inside to explore Yugi’s mouth. He loosened his grip on the other’s hands, letting them roam over Yugi’s torso instead.

He pushed up Yugi’s shirt, the pads of his hands tracing patterns over the skin as he hungrily sucked on Yugi’s lips.

Yugi moaned into the kiss, his hands tracing up Atem’s sides to weave into his hair, pulling him impossibly closer.

Atem rumbled deep in his throat in appreciation, taking as much of Yugi as he would allow. He was upset when Yugi tugged him back, breaking apart as they breathed heavily.

“A-At- Sennen, we can’t do this, you _know_ we can’t.” Yugi whispered, sliding away on the wall.

Atem growled, wanting to continue the kiss. “No I don’t know why, Yugi. Why deny yourself the pleasure?”

“I’m a cop, and you’re a crime lord.” Yugi protested. “I should be arresting you, not making out with you.”

“And yet I know which one you’d rather be doing.” Atem muttered, taking a step closer, to which Yugi stepped further back.

“No, Sennen, we _can’t_.” Yugi sighed, the agitation thick in his voice. He was inching backwards, further away as he turned his back on Atem.

“Yugi…” Atem narrowed his eyes.

Yugi shot him a look over his shoulder before he ran off, disappearing under the cover of the darkness.

“ _Shit_.” Atem cursed, trying to ignore the feeling of his painfully tight pants. He glanced down at Yugi’s gun, left abandoned on the ground, glaring at it like it was the source of his problems. He supposed at the root, it was, the emblem of the Domino Police Department staring back at him.

He sighed, picking it up on his way past. He’d give it to Yugi the next time he saw him. Which would be soon, if Atem had anything to say about it.

* * *

“Oh god, is that _another_ one of Yugi Mutou’s guns?” Mahad’s voice dripped with disapproval.

“Perhaps it is.” Atem muttered, turning around from the gun rack to face his companion.

Mahad gave him a pointed look, one eyebrow raised elegantly on his face. Atem frowned.

“Stop that.”

“You can’t keep stealing his guns, Atem.”

“I’m not _stealing_ ; he leaves them behind. They’re fair game.” Atem defended.

“Which leaves me wondering why he leaves them behind in the first place.”

“Hush.”

“Only when you stop collecting Yugi Mutou’s weapons and displaying them in your common room.”

Atem paused, glancing between Mahad’s position on one of the couches and the display rack behind him, filled with Yugi’s guns.

“You make it sound like I’m some kind of crazed stalker.” Atem frowned.

“You’re not far off, to be honest.” Mahad tapped a hand against his chin, eyes traveling over Atem’s form. “Yep… you look like a part time obsessed psychopath all right. We may have to find ourselves a new leader soon. You’re going to get your head blown off by your lover sometime soon.”

“Yugi wouldn’t hurt me.”

“You don’t know that. He _is_ a cop, Atem.” Mahad said pointedly.

“Ohh, are you talking about your forbidden love interest again?” Mana’s head peeking inside, quickly followed by her body as she slinked into the room.

“It’s not forbidden,” Atem pursed his lips. “Just frowned upon. By Mahad, mainly.”

“And the entirety of the police department, including Yugi himself,” Mahad put in, “You’re taking advantage of him, you know. He clearly wants you to stay away, and yet you go out of your way to torment him.”

“I don’t ‘ _torment’_ him, Mahad,” Atem shot back. “What Yugi and I have is… complicated.”

“’Complicated,’ right.” Mahad just nodded, clearly unconvinced.

“You know I’d drop everything for Yugi.” Atem breathed, his hand lingering on the gun from the last encounter before he closed the cabinet door. “I’d certainly drop your asses behind bars before I let something happen to him.”

“I just don’t understand your attraction to him, Atem.”

Atem chuckled. “In truth, neither do I, old friend.”

“But he’s a cop, isn’t he?” Mana joined in, plopping down on the couch opposite Mahad.

“Yes, isn’t he, Atem? The best in the city, isn’t he?” Mahad smirked, to which Atem shot him a glare.

“He is the best.” Atem said, almost boasting at the swell of warmth in his chest. Every time he saw Yugi in the papers for busting some crime, he smiled like a love-struck fool.

“And don’t you think you should be a bit more worried, what with being a crime lord and all? He’s taken down branches of your gang before, Atem.” Mahad pressed.

“Ah, yes, he has,” Atem sighed happily. “All well played moves. My little spark does such a good job. It’s a shame he refuses to join me; the things we could accomplish with our combined powers.”

“He’s like a love-struck puppy.” Mahad whispered to Mana, not even bothering to hide it from Atem’s hearing.

“I think it’s cute.” Mana giggled. “It’s nice to see a side of Atem that isn’t challenging people to crazy knife games.”

“It was _one time_ Mana, let it go.” Atem groaned, shaking his head.

“Oh please Atem; you know we’ll never give you a break.” Mana winked at him, and Mahad stifled a laugh.

“I swear one day I’m going to fire you both.” Atem muttered.

* * *

Yugi walked into the headquarters building, sighing in relief. He had finally managed to get his previous encounter with Atem out of his mind. And it had taken long enough, the imprint of that kiss still tingling on his lips. He reached up, smiling softly as he pressed his fingers to his lips. _That’s enough,_ _Mutou,_ he scolded himself, dropping his hand and smile. _You have work to do. You’re a cop, don’t forget. Sennen who? That’s right, he’s just some crime lord, nobody you know._

He waved to Jou at the reception desk as he passed, pausing as Jou waved him over.

“Hey Yugi, boss man wanted to see you before. Said it was urgent, and you, ‘needed to get your ass into his office pronto.’” Jou said, putting on his best Kaiba impression.

“Hey, that’s pretty spot on,” Yugi laughed, “I guess I’ll be right back then, go see what’s got Kaiba all riled up _this_ time.”

“It’s a mystery, as always!” Jou threw over his shoulder.

Yugi just snickered, padding down the hall towards Kaiba’s office. He knocked on the door, waiting until Kaiba gave him permission to enter before swinging the door open.

“You wanted to see me, boss?”

“Yes Mutou. Close the door and get in here.” Kaiba’s voice was sharp and to the point. Yugi swallowed nervously. It sounded like Kaiba meant business today.

He pushed the door closed, taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of Kaiba’s desk.

“Look,” Kaiba started- never a good sign, “there really is no easy way to say this. You’ve been a good cop Yugi, but you made a fatal mistake, and it’s cost you your job. Hand me your badge, Mutou.”

“What are you saying…?” Yugi’s blood turned cold at the even look Kaiba gave him.

“You know what I mean, Mutou. You’re off the case, and off the force. I can’t afford to have a cop on duty that can’t handle the pressure.”

“But I can!” Yugi protested. “I’ve proven myself time and time again, haven’t I!?”

“You’ve proven to let Atem Sennen escape again and again every time you seem to have ‘just missed him.’ Do you take me for an idiot? You’ve been lying to me.” Kaiba’s sharp gaze regarded him.

“I…” Yugi bit his lip. He hated the feeling of lying, but what else could he tell his supervisor? That he had a somewhat intimate relationship with one of the most notorious criminals in Domino? He hated to admit it quietly to himself. Whatever it was that attracted him to Atem, it put both his job and his life on the line every time they met, regardless of the circumstances.

He hated it, he hated himself for letting things get this way. But when he was around Atem, it was like everything felt natural. He couldn’t think normally, one smile from the criminal and he was swooning, one kiss and he was gone. He tried to resist, he really did. But there was just something about Atem, something that kept their paths crossed, kept them together, even when Yugi tried to pull them apart.

“Whatever it is, Mutou, it’s cost you your job. You’re right, you had proven yourself in every other field. You were the best damn cop I’ve ever seen, and it takes a lot of sucking up my pride to admit that.” Kaiba shook his head, his icy eyes piercing Yugi with his expression. “What happened to you, Mutou? You’ve fallen so far from grace.”

Yugi lowered his head. He had no answer for Kaiba, when he himself didn’t know the answer to the question.

Kaiba dragged a hand through his hair, sighing deeply. “Get out of my office Mutou, and leave your badge behind. Don’t make this any harder than it already is.”

Yugi nodded dully, reaching into his pocket to toss the piece of metal onto the desk. He turned around, saying nothing as he stepped out of the office, the door closing rhythmically behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

Atem felt amazing. The heist he had spent the greater portion of the month planning had gone off without a hitch. He was sad to hear from some of his scouts that Yugi hadn’t been spotted with the first dispatch from the police headquarters. It would mean he wouldn’t see the calling card Atem had left him, like every other heist before it. Not that he personally addressed them to Yugi, of course; Atem may despise the police, but he would never do anything to endanger Yugi’s job. He knew how important it was to the other.

It was late, but that didn’t mean much to him at the moment. He was safely walking through a section of his territory, checking everything was in order before he headed in for the night.

He walked past a bar still open- a rather popular one, he had heard. He didn’t spend much pleasure time in it, only checking in every now and then for business measures. He found people often tried to hit on him when he was in bars, and he had no interest in them. He was, in a way, already in a relationship, as strange and capricious as it was. The bar was more one of Mana’s areas of interest anyway, and he let her handle the affairs here. It just so happened to be on a popular route he travelled, and he nodded at one of the locals walking around. There was still quite the crowd around, most of them stragglers.

Atem shoved his hands into his pants pockets, trotting smoothly down the sidewalk as he made his way back to his headquarters. He was just about to turn off the main path when he was roughly shoved in the shoulder.

He grunted, eyes narrowing as he turned to the person responsible.

“Sorry.” They mumbled, swaying forward as they pushed past Atem.

Atem tutted, watching the person stumble for a moment. Then he squinted his eyes. _Wait a minute…_ There was something achingly familiar about that spikey hair, the way it shone purple under the street light.

“Yugi?” He said, taking a step forward.

Yugi raised his head, groaning when he saw Atem.

“Fuck off Sennen.” He said, but his voice seemed off. It didn’t have the usual flare that Atem loved so much. He swerved sideways for a moment before righting himself. Atem approached his side, eyebrows furrowed.

And then he caught the strongest whiff of alcohol.

“Shit, Yugi, have you been drinking?” He screwed his nose up, peering worriedly at the other.

“None of your… none of your business, Sennen.” Came Yugi’s slurred reply. He missed a step, and Atem had to race forward and clutch his torso to keep the other from toppling down.

“Yugi you never drink, you’ve got a perfect record. What the fuck happened to you?”

“S-Shut up.” Yugi said, his eyelids drooping. They began to flutter, and when Atem looked closer, he saw tears bubbling up in the corners, escaping down his cheeks.

“Shit, don’t cry man.” Atem looked around, spotting a bench nearby. “Here, let’s go sit down, then you can tell me what happened.”

Yugi just hiccupped in response, Atem leading him down onto the bench. He kept a hand close by, in case Yugi slumped off the chair. The other hand he used to rub soothing circles on Yugi’s back.

He waited a moment, letting Yugi’s shoulders shake as he cried his eyes out. They just sat there in the dark, the only source of light a convenient street lamp casting its glow over the bench. _Like something out of the movies,_ Atem thought, bemused.

“Alright Yugi, why don’t you tell me why a cop like you is drunk off his face tonight. I know you’re better than this.”

“Not a cop anymore,” Yugi hiccupped, shaking his head. “Got laid off.”

“You what?” Atem was sure he hadn’t heard right. Yugi Mutou, the greatest cop ever known to the city of Domino, who even Seto Kaiba plays second to in the field… _Laid off?_

“Is your fault.” Yugi slurred, a hand angrily wiping at his tears.

“My fault? I know we have our differences Yugi, but would you care to explain how you getting fired is my fault?” Atem asked politely, frowning at the now ex-cop.

“Kaiba knew I was lying about not seeing you. I told him you were always gone by the time I arrived, but he said he knew I had let you go sometimes.”

_Oh_. Atem blinked back his shock, keeping his face neutral. He hadn’t realised that Yugi never reported his encounters to the head office. He suspected that Yugi would leave out the finer details, like certain make out sessions and… other times, but to not say anything about Atem? Give detail appearances? On one side, Atem was honoured that Yugi considered what they had worth risking his job for. But on the other hand, Atem knew how much that job meant to Yugi. Atem would never dream of doing anything to take that away from him.

“K-Kiss me.” Yugi said suddenly, climbing over the bench to sit in Atem’s lap.

“Woah, Yugi you’re drunk, I’m not going to take advantage of you.” Atem said, gently trying to pry Yugi’s hands away.

“Don’t you,” a hiccup, “want me, A-Atem? I-I thought you l-liked me.” Yugi’s eyes welled up, fresh tears beginning to pour down his face.

“I do, Yugi. Gods, you have no idea how much.”

“Then kiss me. Please. I-I’ve got nothing left. Please don’t leave me.” Yugi cried, falling against Atem’s chest as he sobbed. Atem rubbed his shoulder, whispering reassurances softly.

“I will never leave you, Yugi,” Atem said, “Don’t doubt that. But I refuse to kiss you when you’re drunk. It’s wrong, and you’d hate me for it when you sobered up. Please, let me take you home instead. You need to rest and clear your head.”

“I don’t wanna go home.” Yugi wailed, batting a hand against Atem’s chest. “I don’t want to be alone… I just…”

Atem bit his lip. _Should he…?_ He glanced down at Yugi’s face, seeing the pain covering his glazed over eyes. The decision was made instantly. “Then come back to my place. No funny stuff, you can crash on one of the couches, and I can make sure you don’t do anything stupid, or drink anymore.”

“I…” Yugi’s eyes closed, and he went limp against Atem. “Yeah… s-sounds good… please.”

“Alright,” Atem sighed. “But I can’t carry you Yugi. You’re going to have to walk back with me.”

“Sokay.” Yugi muttered, his head bobbing up and down loosely.

“Come on then hot shot, let’s get some water into you.” Atem said softly, pushing up from the bench.

* * *

Yugi woke to a raging headache, his eyes remaining shut as he winced in pain. _What in the hell happened last night…?_ He tried to rack his brain for the answer, but his memories were still foggy from sleep, and his thoughts felt sluggish.

“God, my mouth is killing me.” He groaned, his throat parched completely. He smacked his lips together, and winced at how dry they were.

“Need some water?” A voice said softly. A glass suddenly appears in Yugi’s vision, and he took it without question, downing the liquid in one go. He sighed contently, glancing up to give his thanks before he realised who had handed him the glass.

“S-Sennen!” Yugi scrambled backwards, his eyes snapping fully open.

“Morning.” Atem chuckled, giving him a wink.

“What are you…Where… where am I? What have you done?” Yugi glared at the other, defensively leaning over the couch backwards, away from the crime lord.

“My my, you’re full of questions this morning. I suppose that’s to be expected, although I was rather hoping you would answer mine first.”

“I’m not answering anything you ask,” Yugi narrowed his eyes, “tell me why you’ve kidnapped me Sennen. Now.”

“Oh I like it when you take command like that.” Atem licked his lips, and Yugi felt his cheeks tingle.

“Just answer the question, Sennen.”

“You told me I could.” He shrugged, moving to sit on the couch opposite Yugi’s.

“Could what?”

“Take you home.”

“Don’t kid around Sen-”

“I’m not.” Atem’s voice was strained, a hand reaching for his head like he was the one with the headache, not Yugi. “I’m being completely serious. And we need to talk seriously, Yugi.”

“We _are_ talking. Stop trying to take charge. In what crazy world would I ever want you to take me to your place? Unless this is you handing yourself in?” Yugi gave him a smirk, but it faded at the sad look Atem sent him.

“You can’t hand me in, Yugi.” He said.

“Yes I can,” Yugi shot back. “Put your hands behind your back and then we’ll see-”

“Yugi, stop, please.” Atem sighed, looking forlorn. “Don’t you remember?”

“Remember what?” Yugi said, reaching for his cuffs. When his hands patted over nothing but the material of his jeans, he frowned, glancing down. His cuffs were missing.

“What the…? Where are my cuffs?” he checked his other pocket, “and my badge!” he rounded on Atem, “what have you done, Sennen?”

“Your cuffs and badge are back at the police headquarters, I’d assume. Waiting for their next owner, whoever Kaiba gives your job to.” Atem’s eyes shone with sympathy.

His words washed over Yugi, and Yugi felt his own world come slamming down. _What the…?_ Suddenly it was like a fog had lifted from his mind, and he remembered _everything_.

The conversation in Kaiba’s office, leaving his badge behind, walking out to have to tell his now ex-workmates, his friends, that he was leaving… It had been too much for him. He had been walking home, passing a bar close by, and he just wanted the pain to _stop_. The next thing he remembered, he was waking up here, on Atem’s couch.

Which wasn’t entirely true. He did remember seeing Atem, and there was a bench, and he had been in Atem’s lap and-

In his _lap_.

“What happened last night, Sennen?” Yugi asked, his tone low. Atem caught on fast to his meaning, and he narrowed his eyes.

“I brought you back to a place where I could make sure you wouldn’t do anything stupid, Yugi. Nothing happened.”

“Are you sure? Because I wouldn’t put it past you to lie to me-”

“I’d never lie to you Yugi,” Atem interrupted, raising a hand. “Please, you must believe me when I say nothing happened. I would _never_ take advantage of you like that. Ask yourself, do you think I would?”

Yugi felt his next insult dying on his tongue. “I suppose not…”

“Nothing happened. You have my word. I just wanted to make sure you would be safe, and you said you didn’t want to go home. I offered you my couch, and you accepted.”

“I was under the influence.” Yugi protested.

“I’m not blaming you, but I do expect you to not drink so much again. At least not under my roof, alright?”

“I don’t plan on staying.” Yugi glared at him.

“You’ll stay until the afternoon at least. The alcohol should have run through your system by then, and you’ll be free to run loose and curse my name again as much as you want.”

“Fine.” Yugi whispered, pulling his legs up onto the couch. The fight was drained out of him, replaced by the growing sadness pressing against his chest.

“Yugi-”

“No. Leave me alone Se- Atem. I… I’d like to be alone… please…” Yugi curled in on himself.

Atem hesitated for a moment before Yugi heard him sigh. “As you wish. I’ll come check in on you later.” He left the room, the door closing behind him softly, leaving Yugi alone.

* * *

The papers slammed down on the desk, Atem cursing loudly. “Damn it Mahad, I don’t have time to deal with this kind of shit! Tell Shada to fix his _own_ damn problems!”

Mahad kept his face calm, his lips pulled into his signature thin line.

“You’re the boss, Atem. All forms and actions have to be approved by you before they can be carried out.”

“What, so nobody can even breath without me saying so? You’ve all got brains haven’t you? You don’t need me to tell you how to do _everything_.”

“I understand you’re agitated, Atem-”

“I’m not agitated.”

“-But the problems of your employees are yours as well. Shada’s faction is having trouble with Pegasus’s Toon Gang, and he’s requesting your orders.”

“I know what he wants,” Atem grumbled, “Just… tell him I’ll send Karim out to him. They can deal with Pegasus’s lackeys together. I want them squashed back down by the end of the week.”

“Yes sir.”

“Good, is that all?”

“I believe so.”

“Then I’m heading out.”

“Walking Yugi back home, I assume?” Mahad said, and Atem froze.

“Yes, actually, I am.”

“Atem-”

Atem rounded on him, his eyes blazing with anger. “If this is another lecture coming, I swear to the gods Mahad I will ship your ass back to Egypt _so_ fast-”

“Alright, alright, I get it, _sir_. No lecture from me,” Mahad threw he hands up, an eyebrow raising, “just don’t forget who you are, Atem.”

“I’m the best damn crime lord this side of Japan, Mahad. I don’t need the reminder.” Atem grumbled, stalking out of the office. He made a point of slamming the door closed, not caring how he was just proving Mahad’s point more.

* * *

Yugi breathed a sigh of relief, leaning back against the door for a moment. Then he pushed off, scrambling over to the window to peer outside of the corner.

Atem was walking away down the street, staying true to his word. Yugi had made him promise he would leave Yugi as soon as he was back at his apartment. He also made Atem promise to leave him alone for a while, knowing the crime lord would snake his way back into Yugi’s life soon enough. But for now, he wanted to spend time by himself. He didn’t want to deal with Atem’s charm, worried it might lead to something he would later regret deeply in his sadness.

He was still trying to wrap his head around how he had gotten drunk enough he almost came onto Atem. Of all the people who had to catch him during the episode, it was Atem Sennen. He swore the guy stalked him- he probably did, which was why Yugi had promptly told him the leave him the fuck alone.

He wasn’t sure how long it would last, though, but for every day he went without having the confusion that came with Atem’s presence, the better off he was. He certainly couldn’t afford to end up in another… compromising position with the crime lord.

 Really, Yugi had no one to blame but himself in that aspect. He had had plenty of opportunities to report Atem’s behaviour. Heck, Yugi was almost one hundred percent sure that Atem would do something if Yugi asked him to. All he had to do was tell Atem he wanted to meet up at a place, and the crime lord would show up, most likely unarmed and without back-up, and Yugi could have had the entire headquarters scrambling to bag him. Atem wouldn’t even resist, Yugi could tell.

So then why hadn’t he? Why hadn’t he done that? Why hadn’t he just washed his life clean of Atem’s dirt and moved on? He could have been an even greater hero. The highest honour possible for a cop in Domino; bringing the region’s most notorious crime lord down to his knees, put behind bars.

_But you’ve brought him to his knees before,_ a voice in Yugi’s head reminded him, and Yugi promptly squashed it down with a squeak. He didn’t need a reminder of that time, not at all. Not the way Atem had looked at him so softly, his movements gentler than Yugi thought was possible from the crime lord. The way he had gone down…

Yugi let out a deep breath, resting his head in his heads. He felt hot and uncomfortable, shifting his legs around to accommodate to his sudden bulge. _Calm down Yugi. Now is_ not _the time to be thinking about Atem and sex. In fact, you should_ never _be thinking about that. That’s what he wants you to think about, so he can worm his way back into your good graces the next time he shows up with that dorky smile and he’s stupid ‘crime lord honour.’_

There was a knock at the door, and Yugi spun his head around, confused. _Who could that be?_ He didn’t think any of his ex-co-workers would drop by, at least not yet. Maybe later, but it had only been a day, and Yugi suspected Kaiba would be keeping them busy to keep their minds off it. Still, it was a welcome distraction from his Atem problems.

Shrugging, he rose from the couch, padding over to the door. He swung it open, smiling nervously when he didn’t recognise the people. “Um… hello…”

* * *

He had promised Yugi he would stay away, and he was honour bound to keep his word. Of course, that didn’t mean he couldn’t send one of his gang members past every odd hour of the day, just to check in.

_Which Yugi would probably be on my heels about if he found out,_ Atem thought, a smirk tugging at his lips. _But then again, he wouldn’t believe in my ‘honour’ to begin with._ Yes, Atem could see and hear it play out perfectly in his mind, the way Yugi would throw his head back, laughing in that sweet tune, mocking Atem’s ‘honour’ as a criminal.

Suddenly his phone buzzed, and he fished it out of his pocket, glancing at the caller ID before swiping the call open.

“Speak to me.”

“Boss, we’ve got trouble.” The voice on the other end said, their tone hurried.

“What kind?”

“The charge you have us watching has rival eyes on him.”

“Is he safe?” Atem jumped out of his seat, not missing a beat.

“For now.”

“Where are you?” He scooped up his jacket, shrugging into it.

“The road down from his place.”

“Keep your eyes on him, I’m coming now.” Atem flicked the call off, his phone shoved back into his pocket as he tore out the door, grabbing one of the guns that sat handily near the door.

He threw himself into his car, listening to the engine roar to life before slamming his foot to the accelerator. The car sped out onto the street, speeding down the road as Atem went over the best way to reach Yugi’s apartment.

He took the corners sharply, earning more than one beep of protest from other drivers. He didn’t care, all that mattered was reaching Yugi before trouble happened. _If anything happens to him…_ Atem crushed the thought before it had time to fester. Now wasn’t the time to let his anxieties get the better of him. He gripped the steering wheel tighter, eyes narrowed at the road.

Soon Yugi’s apartment come into view, the building offering nothing out of the ordinary. Atem wouldn’t relax yet, however. Not until he saw Yugi safe and sound, yelling at him for showing up again.

He parked the car across the road, climbing out and glancing around. The member who was supposed to be here was nowhere to be seen. Atem curled his lip, walking briskly to the apartment and up the stairs.

“Yugi.” Atem hissed, jiggling the door handle. _Locked_ , he clicked his tongue, trying to peer inside.

“Yugi!” He grew impatient, worry starting to creep up on him.

“B-Boss.” A weak voice called to him. Atem snapped his head around to find his missing gang member leaning heavily on the bottom step. His hand was clutching his side in an all too familiar way.

“What happened? Who shot you?” Atem asked, racing down the stairs.

“Rival gang,” He chocked out, coughing up blood. “They took ‘em.”

“Who?” Atem’s eyes widened as he asked, making the connection. _Oh no…_

“Yugi, the charge. Toon Gang got him. Sorry boss.”

_Shit shit shit,_ Atem growled, his hand shaking at his side as the other slammed into the side of Yugi’s apartment. “Fuck it all to hell!” That meant he was in the hands of Pegasus. _The slimy bastard._ Atem didn’t want to think about what Pegasus would do to him before Atem had the time to show up. No doubt Yugi was being used as bait right now, even blackmail in the long run. Atem wouldn’t put it past him.

He turned his focus back to the matter at hand; organising a counter strike against Pegasus. “Go get yourself cleaned up kiddo.” Atem said, whipping out his phone. He quickly dialled his gang’s resident doctor, making sure they would be able to dispatch to his location. He also gave them the heads up of a possible fight going down, most likely resulting in more injuries before the end of the day.

Next he rang Mahad, barely waiting for the answer before he spoke.

“They’ve got Yugi.” He said, not wasting any time with pleasantries. “I’m heading to Pegasus’s main hide out.”

“You should wait for backup-”

“He’s not going to wait when he gets Yugi.” Atem practically snarled down the line.

There was a pause at the end of the line, and then, “How does it feel?”

“Like I’m going to set fire to the whole fucking city if I don’t get him back safely.”

“I see,” another pause, “I’ll get everyone moving. My advice for you? Try to stall him. Don’t go in guns blazing, Atem. You can’t help him if you’re dead.”

“Let Pegasus try.” Atem chuckled darkly, hanging up. He closed his eyes, his surroundings fading away as he took a moment.

When he opened his eyes next, they were a dark red, heavy with the promise of vengeance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear... What a mess...


	3. Chapter 3

  _I knew he was more trouble that he was worth,_ Yugi thought, the rope binding his wrists rubbing against them as he shifted his position. _He better hope this stupid rival gang kills him, because if he’s still there when I get to him, he’s going to wish he was dead._

The gang members had wisely gaged him after Yugi had sworn them all to seven different hells along the way. They flashed knives at him after that, and Yugi had promptly shut up, glaring at them silently instead. He didn’t miss the pistols resting at each hip either. His years as a cop had taught him to assess a situation well before acting, and judging by the situation he found himself in now, there wasn’t anything he could do.

 _Some cop I turned out to be, not even having my gun close and opening the door without checking like that… no wonder Kaiba fired me,_ Yugi bit into the gag, spit dampening the cloth. _Well, at least my boner’s gone,_ he thought, glad to see his pants no longer sported the bulge. He certainly didn’t want to have to face off against all these criminals with a god damn hard on. Another thing he could blame Atem for.

It didn’t take long before the car came to a stop, the driver clicking the engine off. They all stepped out, the one who had been riding in the back with Yugi tugging on Yugi’s cuffs, forcing him to follow.

He walked sandwiched between them, glancing around, trying to get an idea of where he was. It looked like the docks, but he couldn’t see the ocean from here, so they must have been a few streets back. _So the industrial area, how original,_ Yugi rolled his eyes. It left him wondering how they hadn’t managed to catch the gang before. Perhaps they moved their base around. 

Yugi was pushed inside one of the warehouse buildings, where there were more of the gang members lurking around. _Great… there’s at least twenty of these bastards,_ he turned his head left and right, noting their positions, and the guns gleaming at every hip. _God damn it._

“Ah, Yugi-boy, how lovely to see you.” A voice called out, the tone lofty. _Oh god, don’t tell me…_

Yugi lifted his head only to immediately groan as he spotted the man making his way over to him, dressed from head to toe in a striking red suit.

“Pegasus.” He spat, lips curling back. He had seen pictures and documents about Pegasus, the leader of the second most powerful gang in Domino, the stupidly titled ‘Toon Gang.’ Not to mention Atem’s main rival. “I can’t say the same for you. It’s not a pleasure.”

“Ah yes, you’d much rather have your boy toy Atem here now wouldn’t you?” Pegasus smirked.

Yugi felt his face flush. _How does he…!_ “Atem means nothing to me.” He stated. Pegasus just acted with mock surprise.

“Oh no! Are you saying I wasted all this time kidnapping you only to find out you mean nothing to Atem?”

Yugi grated his teeth together, barely containing a hiss. Pegasus was extremely annoying, although Yugi supposed that was how he dealt with his victims. Maybe it was some kind of tactic to get them so agitated they would spill information without realising it. _Well, two can play at that game._ Yugi smirked. It was time to put the pressure back on Pegasus.

“To be honest, if this is how you run a gang, I’m wondering why I didn’t make one sooner. Is it really this easy?” Yugi mocked him, his eyes glancing around with disapproval.

Pegasus’s eye twitched, but he retained his calm posture. “It’s harder than it looks. But I don’t have to tell you that. I’m sure you already know all about it from running Atem’s gang with him.”

“I don’t work for Atem.” Yugi narrowed his eyes. _Has Atem been telling people I do!?_

“A partnership, then. Whatever you want to call it. It must come in handy for him, having one of the highest-ranking officers at his disposal. I must admit, I’m a little envious.”

“Sennen and I have nothing to do with each other. You’ve wasted your time; I’m not even a cop anymore.”

Pegasus raised an eyebrow, and Yugi felt his stomach drop at his next words. “So you say, but your status means nothing to me, Yugi-boy. You’re just the bait to land the bigger fish. Say what you want, but Atem is still going to come running for you.”

“He wouldn’t.” Yugi said, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry.

“I think we both know he would, Yugi-boy,” Pegasus smirked, “I know enough about the situation to know that Atem would do _anything_ for his little lover.”

“I’m not…!” Yugi felt the words die on his tongue. _Am I though? Is that how Atem sees us? As… lovers?_ Part of Yugi wanted to slap the crime lord across the face, that he would dare to say such things behind Yugi’s back, without his permission. But the other part of him felt warmth pool in his chest at such a declaration. _But he’s a criminal, and a gang leader… he can’t be in..._

“I’ve been waring with Atem for this territory for long enough, Yugi-boy. I’ve seen quite a bit in my time, and I’ve been searching for a while now for Atem’s weakness. But even I never suspected it would be in the form of a lovely young ex-cop.”

Yugi felt the sensation of slime down his back, and suddenly he felt very dirty. Pegasus was the textbook definition of a creep, and the longer Yugi spent here with him, the more disgusted he felt.

“Shall we place bets?” Pegasus continued, ignorant to Yugi’s shivers. “I believe he’s going to arrive any minute now. He probably went to your place, found you missing, and is currently tearing his way down to our location, where he will slam open that door and yell-”

“Pegasus!” Atem’s voice boomed through the large warehouse, right as the doors slammed open and he came storming through.

Yugi stifled a gasp. Even from where he was standing, Yugi could see how dark Atem’s face was. His bangs folded over his face, shadowing it, and yet his eyes still shined through, their irises burning red and full of anger. His lips were pressed together in a defining line.

He strode forward, his eyes glancing at Yugi for a moment before turning back to Pegasus.

“Ah Atem-boy, there you are,” Pegasus said, voice lofty as ever. “We were just talking about you.” He clicked his fingers, and suddenly all of the gang members sprung to life.

Just as Atem reached the center of the warehouse floor, the members circled around him, all of their guns raised and cocked at Atem. His movements stopped abruptly, eyes taking them all in in one swerve of his head.

“You think pointing your little toys at me will be enough, Pegasus?” Atem’s cold tone came out.

“Well I don’t see why not,” Pegasus snickered, a hand raised to his lips. “You are the one who walked in here without back-up, all alone, guns blazing- ah, but not even that. You didn’t even have the common sense to raise your gun.”

“Let Yugi go.” Atem’s tone let no room for arguments. It was something that demanded unconditional obedience, and yet Pegasus just shrugged it off.

“You know I can’t do that, Atem. We’re on the same level here, both leaders of criminal organisations. You must have known I had… _conditions_ , for the safe return of your little lover.”

“You misunderstand Pegasus. We are not equals.”

Pegasus sighed, shaking his head. “My my, aren’t we awfully demanding today. Well no matter, let’s get down to bus-”

“We’re going to play a game, Pegasus.”

“A game? You’re serious?” Pegasus frowned. “And you call me the childish one.”

“This isn’t a game for children,” Atem chuckled, a dark sound that vibrated throughout the room. “It’s a penalty game. A form of _punishment_.”

“No matter what name you call it, it’s still a game,” Pegasus waved him off. “But you misunderstand your situation, Atem-boy. You’re surrounded by guns. I have a hostage. You don’t think I won’t kill him if you try anything funny?” Pegasus reached out, gripping Yugi’s shoulder tightly as he pulled him close.

Yugi moved to struggle before he felt the cold metal of a gun on his neck. He swallowed nervously, freezing up. He sent Atem a helpless glance to find Atem’s eyes already on him, staring at the gun at his neck.

“You will be punished for this.” He said slowly. “I’ll give you one last chance. Let. Yugi. Go.”

Pegasus sneered at him. “I think not.”

Atem leaped into action, his body dropping to the ground. For a moment Yugi’s heart was in his throat, thinking the other had been shot, but when the guns went off, it was Pegasus’s men who dropped to the ground, clutching wounds over their torsos. They had shot each other, Atem safety on the ground without a scratch on him.

Not all of them had fallen, however, some of the men having not fired yet, and they turned their guns on Atem, but he was too quick. With an agile grace Yugi didn’t think possible, Atem sprinted around the room, running up to each uninjured member, a gun suddenly in his hand as he shot them in the face. He spared none of them, and each bullet hit its mark perfectly. That kind of accuracy was inhuman, and Yugi found himself trying to take steps back, but Pegasus held him firm.

“Do you not care about your little fuck toy?” Pegasus yelled, the gun pressing into the skin of Yugi’s neck, electing a sharp wince from him.

Atem stopped, several metres away from where Pegasus had Yugi held. His eyes burned, gaze staring straight through Pegasus, like he wasn’t even worth the attention.

“Take one more step and he’s _dead_.” Pegasus vowed, the conviction in his voice giving Yugi no doubt he’d follow through with the action. “Drop your gun.”

Atem growled, throwing the gun away. They all heard it spin on the ground, sliding far away from them.

“Good. Now, you’re going to do exactly as I say, or your little lover here is dead.”

 _Oh hell no, fuck that noise,_ Yugi thought, brows furrowing. He slammed the heel of his foot down onto Pegasus’s shoe, snapping his head backwards and out of the gun’s range as he did.

Pegasus yelped, jumping slightly. Yugi took the moment to smash his elbow into Pegasus’s chest, his other hand reaching up to snatch the gun from his now lax hold. It came away easily, and Pegasus doubled over, clutching his chest while hissing.

“I’m a fucking ex-cop, Pegasus,” Yugi spat, gun now facing its former owner. “Perhaps you forgot that little detail in your equation. I’m not going to sit around and wait for Atem to do all the work.”

“Go ahead then, shoot.” Pegasus dared him, head raising to narrow his eyes at Yugi. Yugi returned the expression, but he silently cursed. They both knew Yugi wasn’t willing to put murder against his name. His threat was empty.

A gun shot sounded out, echoing loudly in the large structure of the warehouse. Yugi’s eyes widened as Pegasus collapsed to the ground, a pool of blood beginning to seep out from under his head. He shakily brought the gun closer to him, but there was no smoke from the end of it, and he hadn’t felt the recoil. _But if it wasn’t me, then…_ He swerved around to see Atem, hand raised, gun in his grip.

“You… shot him.” Yugi licked his lips, trying to calm his nerves. “Okay… just…alright…”

He took a moment to regulate his breathing, lowering the gun as Atem approached him.

Once he felt more calm, he took a deep breath, pinning Atem with one of his signature looks. “Geez Sennen, you can’t just go around fucking _murdering_ people like that! Heck, you can’t go around murdering full stop! What am I going to tell HQ? Fuck Kaiba’s probably on his way already! Practically an entire gang murdered in mere minutes!”

“You’re not a cop anymore Yugi. You won’t tell them anything.” Atem stated evenly, and Yugi had to do a double take. Atem was staring down at him, his eyes eerily two pools of blood.

“Well you don’t have to be an asshole about it,” Yugi huffed. “You’re still in big trouble, killing all these people. I know Pegasus was your rival, but to kill him in cold blood? Come on Atem, that’s low.”

Yugi’s blood ran cold as Atem growled at him, eyes narrowing dangerously. “He was going to _kill_ you. He deserved his punishment.”

“That doesn’t justify it.” Yugi pointed out. Atem moved closer to him, and Yugi froze.

“S-Sennen?” He said. No response. Another step. “…Atem?” This time Atem blinked at him, his gaze no longer seeing through him.

He cupped a hand to Yugi’s cheek, the other tracing down the other side of his face, lingering on his lips. “ _Yugi_.” He practically purred, although his voice still had that cold edge to it.

“Atem… are you okay?” Yugi shuffled awkwardly, trying to pull his hands away, but Atem’s grip tightened, preventing him. Yugi froze.

There was blood on his face and his clothes, his dress shirt completely soaked in parts.

“Let go, Atem.” Yugi said in a warning tone.

Atem said nothing, just stared at him. He was beginning to creep Yugi out.

Footsteps echoed across the hall, and Yugi craned his neck to see behind Atem. One of Atem’s gang members, Mahad, Yugi thought his name was, came running in, gun in his hand as several others filed in after him. They all relaxed once they saw the Toon Gang members on the ground, some still alive, clutching at wounds silently, while others were like stones on the cement. Mahad raised his arm, and some members shot forward to tend to the rival gang members, cuffing their wrists before forcing them outside.

“Fuck, is everyone dead already?” Mahad glanced around, his face radiating his disapproval as he walked closer to them. “Damn it Atem I _told_ you to wait.”

“M-Mahad, there’s something wrong with him!” Yugi shouted, glad he had remembered the gang member’s name as the other looked at him as he spoke. Mahad paused his movements, looking at Atem thoroughly.

“What happened?” He asked, this time looking at Yugi. His face was completely serious. It only serves to deepen Yugi’s worries.

“He went on a killing rampage. Shot everyone here, then Pegasus.”

“What happened to you? Did Pegasus touch you at all?” Mahad asked, walking slowly forward.

“Um… well he pointed a gun at my neck and threatened Atem.” Yugi frowned. It was a strange thing to ask, and he wasn’t sure what Mahad was getting at with it.

“Shit, I was worried this would happen,” Mahad said, sighing. “Alright Yugi, I need you to work with me here for a second. Atem is in a very volatile state right now, and we need to get him out of it. I need you to distract him. Keep his attention on you no matter what, alright?”

“O-Okay.” Yugi nodded, turning back to Atem. Atem’s hands were still on Yugi’s face, his eyes staring at Yugi like he didn’t even realise Mahad was there. _God, how am I supposed to do this?_ Yugi thought.

“Atem?” He prompted. Atem blinked at him, his hands loosening a little on Yugi’s face.

“Yugi.” He muttered, leaning closer to Yugi’s face.

“I’m here.” Yugi whispered, his hands reaching up to cup Atem’s face, stroking his cheeks.

He tried hard to ignore Mahad creeping forward slowly, his hand reaching into his pocket for something. Yugi hoped it wasn’t a gun.

Then Atem twitched his head up, and suddenly he was turning around, and Yugi panicked.

He jerked Atem’s head back around, and pushed his face against his own, their lips meeting. Yugi moved against him, desperately trying to get Atem to fall into the kiss. It took a moment, but Atem’s eyelids drooped, and he opened his mouth wider, his lips beginning to move again Yugi’s.

Yugi sighed into the kiss, the tension in his body fading as Atem wrapped his arms around him, pulling him closer, hungrily licking Yugi’s lips. One of his hands weaved its way into Yugi’s hair and Yugi moaned appreciatively.

And then Atem stopped moving, his eyes closing. He went limp in Yugi’s arms, and Yugi couldn’t handle his weight, them both being the same height and size. He brought Yugi down, and the both fell to the floor, Yugi trying his best to break Atem’s fall.

“Oof!” He grunted at the impact, his hands till wrapped around Atem’s body. He was heavy as anything, his body crashing to the ground and not moving to get up.

Yugi glanced up at Mahad to see a syringe in his hand, the plunger pulled all the way in.

“Crisis adverted. Nice moves there.” Mahad sighed, dropping the syringe to move to Atem’s side.

“What did you put in him?” Yugi wriggled out from under Atem, helping Mahad pull him up.

“Tranquiliser. I’ve grow used to having to carry it around when this guy is involved.” Mahad huffed, slinging Atem’s arm around him as he holstered him up. “You never know when something is going to set him off.”

“Set him off how? What the hell even happened there? Even I was scared for a moment…”

“Atem has these… episodes, shall we say. We’re not entirely sure what it is, but when someone he loves is in danger, he gets this look in his eyes, and it’s hard to talk to him. It’s like his brain narrows down on one thing and one thing only, and that’s vengeance. I’ve seen it happen once before, when some guy shot Mana.”

Yugi didn’t really know who that was, but he nodded anyway, assuming it was one of Atem’s gang members. “Will he be alright?”

“He’ll be fine, he just needs to rest now.”

‘Can I… come with you?” Yugi asked, biting his lip. Mahad raised an eyebrow at him before shrugging.

“I don’t see why not.”


	4. Chapter 4

Atem lazily opened his eyes, groaning as he entered the waking world again.

His head felt sluggish, even more so than usual. Had he been drinking last night? No, he never drank more than a glass or two, always having to keep his mind sharp and prepared for a fight. But then why did his head feel so heavy?

He wracked his brain for an answer, but he couldn’t remember anything past walking Yugi home yesterday. At least he assumed it was yesterday. He went back to the office, right?

“Need some water?” A glass appeared in Atem’s view, and he took it, gratefully downing the glass in one gulp.

“Thanks-” Atem jumped, realising who had handed him the glass. “Y-Yugi! What are you doing here!?”

Yugi smiled down at him, standing off to the side of the couch Atem was on. “I came back here after the whole Toon Gang incident. Mahad said I could stay, I assume he was right?”

“Toon Gang incident?” Atem echoed, frowning. “What incident?”

Yugi looked surprised. “You don’t remember?” He said, sitting down at the other end of the couch.

“No…” Atem answered warily. He didn’t like the apprehension he saw in Yugi’s eyes. “What happened?”

“Well… you, uh…” Yugi cleared his throat, “you kind of… wiped out the entire gang in one strike?”

“I did what?” Atem blinked, eyes growing huge. “Yugi, you must be mistaken. I don’t know why someone who was so adamant in keeping his distance from me is suddenly at my place, nor why you’d _know_ how I had done such a thing. I’m not entirely sure I believe you, Yugi.”

“You’d better believe him Atem.” Mahad walked into the room, crossing his arms. “He’s right.”

“Mahad?” Atem paused, glancing up at his friend. Mahad stared down at him, gaze unwavering. “Shit… what happened? What did I do?” His mouth went dry. Yugi was adverting his gaze. Mahad was giving him a pointed look.

“You went berserk again.” Mahad said.

“Shit… no, I…” Atem dropping his head into his arms, shaking it. The pounding in his head, the blank gap in his memories… “Tell me what happened. Please.”

“You stormed into Pegasus’s hide out and killed most of his men,” it was Yugi who spoke up, his voice soft. “Then Pegasus pulled a gun on me and you looked like you wanted nothing more than to kill him in that moment. I broke free of his grip, you shot him, and then Mahad rocked up and tranquilised you.”

“Pegasus is dead?” Atem turned to Mahad, who nodded. “What about the Toon Gang?”

“Gone. Disbanded. Any remaining members are either in the hospital or on their way to prison. The police swooped in after we had cleared out and finished up the job.”

“Your rivals are gone.” Yugi said, staring down at his knees. Atem lifted his head to regard him. Out of curiosity, he shifted closer on the couch, and Yugi flinched in response.

“There’s something you’re not telling me.” Atem said gently, glancing between the two. “What else happened?”

“It’s not my place to say.” Mahad shrugged, wisely moving out of the room. It left Yugi and Atem alone.

“Yugi tell me what happened, please.”

“You _scared_ me.” He whispered, voice soft as ever. “You just stared at me Atem. I tried to pull away and you gave me a vice grip. I looked at you, and I didn’t recognise you at all. I don’t even think _you_ recognised me.”

“Yugi… When I get like that… I don’t… I don’t even _remember_ what happened,” He sighed, “I’m sorry, I just… I never wanted you to see me like that.”

“I didn’t want to either.”

“Did I… did I do anything to you? I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Atem felt his voice get frantic. He fidgeted nervously with his hands, staring at Yugi worriedly.

“No, you didn’t.”

“Thank the gods.” Atem breathed out. He felt his hands shaking, the mere thought of hurting Yugi enough to send a bolt of panic up his spine. He tried to even out his breathing, but it was haggard, and he clutched at his chest, grunting.

“Atem…?” Yugi peered down at him worriedly.

“I-I’m sorry,” He tried to give Yugi a smile. “I just… I don’t think I’d be able to live with myself if I had hurt you. I’m sorry.”

“Hey, you don’t have to…” a pause, then, “I don’t blame you, alright? Mahad explained to me what happened. He said… that you do that when someone threatens someone you love…”

“Oh…” Atem ducked his head. “Well… he’s right. It’s happened before, with my friend Mana. She’s like a little sister to me, and someone… shot her. It was a dark time. I have many holes in my memory from then.”

“Mahad told me about it.”

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

“But…” and here Yugi began to twitch nervously, “does that mean you…?”

“Yes, of course. I love you, Yugi.” Atem locked eyes with the other, noting how wide Yugi’s eyes were with disbelief.

“But… I don’t understand…”

“How could you not? I’ve always loved you. Haven’t I shown you as much?”

“I thought it was just… sexual frustration.” Yugi admitted.

“Well that too,” Atem chuckled, “but… you really didn’t know?”

“Well you never outright told me you loved me. You can’t expect me to understand everything when you don’t tell me.” Yugi pointed out.

“Alright.” Atem nodded, rising off the couch to crouch on his knees in front of Yugi. He reached out, picking up Yugi’s hands in his own. “Yugi Mutou, I love you more than anything. My heart beats for you. When you’re around, you make me smile, and I’ve never felt more complete. I _love_ you, Yugi.”

Yugi stared down at him, his face flushed. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

“Come live with me?”

Yugi jerked back. “Excuse me?”

“Will you come and live with me? I’ll give you any job you want in the gang, I’ll pay you more than Kaiba ever did. I’ll give you anything you want.”

“Just say that I’m yours?” Yugi laughed, catching on. “I get the message, Atem. But to work for your gang? I was a cop up until just a few days ago. To switch to the other side with barely a second thought… It’d be like me asking you to ditch your gang to be a policeman.”

“I know, it’s hard. What I’m asking for you is not an easy decision-”

“It’s impossible.” Yugi sighed.

“Don’t say that. Please. I want… I want to always be near you.”

Yugi paused, staring down at their hands. After a moment, he nodded, some decision made.

“I’m going to stay at my apartment. I don’t think I’m ready for the kind of commitment you want. I… I like you, Atem, but we’ve just spent so much time on opposite sides of the law. That doesn’t just go away in a couple of days.”

Atem dipped his head. He would honour Yugi’s decision. “As you wish.” He moved to get up, but Yugi’s soft voice stopped him.

“Wait.” He did, looking up pointedly at Yugi.

“I wasn’t finished.” Yugi took a deep breath, smiling down at him. “I said I’m not ready for the kind of commitment _you_ want from me, but… I might be willing to try. With a smaller step.”

Atem’s eyes lit up, and he squeezed Yugi’s hands tighter. “You mean it?”

“I’ll accept the job offer. But,” Yugi pulled their hands up, making sure Atem was paying attention before continuing. “It’s on my terms.”

“Deal.” Atem leaned down to kiss Yugi’s knuckles.

“You’re not even going to ask what those conditions are before you accept?”

“Anything you want. It’s yours.”

“What if I want your job.”

“Then you can have it.” Atem smirked, enjoying the flustered look Yugi got on his face.

“I don’t want to be a gang leader,” Yugi said, “but I’ll take the next best thing.”

“I could use an advisor. I think you’ve got the right amount of experience for the position too.”

“An advisor? Where would I sit then?”

“Right next to me.” Atem smiled.

“From star cop to right hand man of the most powerful crime lord of Domino. You couldn’t make that up even if you tried.” Yugi chuckled.

“Will you do it?” Atem asked, breath catching in his throat.

“No.” Yugi said immediately. Atem felt his spirits drop, his body slumping. Then Yugi laughed, reaching down to peck Atem’s cheek.

“I’m just kidding. Oh that was worth it, just to see your face. You’re hopeless.” He giggled.

“A cruel joke.” Atem huffed, climbing back onto the couch, sitting closer to Yugi this time. “But yes, I am hopeless. Hopelessly in love, that is.”

“You’re such a softie. How are you a gang leader again?”

“Pure dumb luck.”

“No wonder you need me so bad.”

“More than you could ever know.” Atem hummed.

“I think I have a good idea.” Yugi gave him a wink.

“It seems that once again I keep topping the kinds of interesting situations I find myself in.” Atem snickered, rubbing Yugi’s arm as he edged closer.

“Yes, you do, and one day you’re going to get yourself killed you fool.” Yugi batted a hand against his shoulder.

“Oh? You think so?”

“I do.” Yugi murmured, a lazy smile on his face. “But, I guess a part of me always kind of liked that. The thrill of the fight.”

“It’s the criminal in you.” Atem nuzzled his nose against Yugi’s neck, thrilled when Yugi didn’t push away.

“Better watch out, or I’m going to run you out of a job.”

“How about you run me out of my pants instead?”

Yugi gave him a smirk, leaning forward, their faces mere inches apart, and Atem felt his blood drop below his stomach. “Yes, _boss_.”

“ _Shit_ , Yugi.” Atem swore at that moment, crime lord or not, he had died and gone to heaven. There was no other explanation for the angel staring down at him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hope the ending was alright; I was tossing it up for a while, but I think in the end it came out good.


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